Digitizers

[R Bennett]

Has anyone used a digitizer with Mastercam?

I am looking at the Calcomp DrawingBoard. I have to take a lot of hand drawnings that are drawn to scale but have no dim. If I could put the drawing on the digitizer tablet and click a few points it would save me a lot of time.

[Colin Gilchrist]

I've digitized many Mylar drawings in my day. At the time I was using V9. I'm not sure what the options are with the X series, but i bet it can be done.

[Colin Gilchrist]

Ok, you have to run a chook now: MCDigitize.

 

Use the MCDigitize C-Hook to accurately enter points, lines and splines with a digitizer. After starting the C-Hook, click the button for the type of geometry that you want to create.

 

Notes:

 

The MCDigitize C-Hook does not allow the digitizer to be used as a mouse.

 

Click Test to display the digitizer data in binary and ASCII format.

 

Click Setup to select a digitizer model and enter calibration parameters and communication settings.

 

Troubleshooting tips

Read the digitizer manual carefully and set all required DIP switches to match the digitizer mode and communications parameters. Some Summagraphics tablets have utilities such as mm.com, uiof.com and send.com that can emulate different digitizers. As of this date, the Summagraphics utilities do not work in Windows NT. The digitizer must be set to stream mode (not point mode or switch stream mode).

 

Use the Test option to check digitizer output. A repeating pattern such as the one below (Numonics) should appear.

 

00 40 5e 80 78 77 .@^.xw

 

00 40 5e 80 78 77 .@^.xw

 

If no data appears, then the digitizer may not be set to stream mode, or you may have selected the wrong COM port. If the pattern does not repeat, you might have selected the wrong digitizer model.

 

A cyan cursor will track the digitizer position. If the cursor is not visible, unzoom several times and move the digitizer cursor.

 

Click here to learn more about using CalComp digitizers or the Drawing Board III digitizer.

 

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Using CalComp digitizers

DO NOT INSTALL THE WINTAB DRIVERS (ccwintab.dll, wintab32.dll, ccwintab.drv, ccwteng.bin, cc95drv.vxd, ccwtmgr.exe, ccsetup.exe)! This will make the digitizer behave like a mouse instead of a digitizer. Installing the WinTab drivers will also disable the built-in configuration. If these drivers have been loaded, turn the digitizer off and on.

 

We have tested the digitize program with a Drawing Board III. Here is the recommended setup:

 

Click Setup and select Calcomp 9100. The default parameters are:

 

Calcomp 9100 Ascii

 

1000 lines/inch

 

9600 E:7:1

 

Using the Calcomp's built-in configuration, set up as follows:

 

Operating mode: run

 

Increment mode: none

 

Prompt mode: off

 

Data rate: 125 pps

 

Resolution: 1000 lpi

 

Format: Calcomp 9100-1

 

Add line feed: no

 

Data/stop bits: 7

 

Baud rate: 9600

 

Parity: even

 

CTS line enable: off

 

(This setting must be off because the MCDigitize C-Hook does not support hardware handshaking. This is the only difference between the Mastercam setup and the AutoCad setup using the CalComp 9100 format as listed in the Drawing Board III Users Guide.)

 

CR on ascii formats: CR (on)

 

Config 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

 

A 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

 

B 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

 

C 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

 

The Drawing Board III can also emulate other digitizers, including the Summasketch II (MM 1201B). From the Setup dialog box, select:

 

Summasketch II

 

500 lines/inch

 

9600 baud, O:8:1

 

Configure the digitizer as follows:

 

Operating mode: run

 

Increment mode: none

 

Prompt mode: off

 

Data rate: 100 pps

 

Resolution: 500 lpi

 

Format: MM 1201B

 

Add line feed: no

 

Data/stop bits: 8

 

baud rate: 9600

 

Parity: odd

 

CTS line enable: off

 

Config 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

 

A 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1

 

B 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

 

C 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

 

This is not the preferred format (the Calcomp 9100 format is).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments or questions about this topic? Let us know!

Learn more

Learn more

 

MCDigitize C-Hook

MCDigitize C-Hook

 

MCDigitize Setup

MCDigitize Setup

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[R Bennett]

Thanks for the Help, All I have to do now is talk Administration into paying for it.

[mcpgmr]

At my last Job I was using an Accutab 2 by Calcomp. I asked for help to get it to work with X3 and got no responses. I wound up using Autocad and it worked great. I was dizitizing Aerospace mylars with it. I'd say it was good to within .010" and that was mostly do to my hand and eye cordination. Most of the parts that I was digitizing were sheet metal and had +/- .03. If you have alot of drawings you might want to consider a scanner with rastor to vector conversion. We had one of those to. I didn't trust it on the large parts though. seems like calibration went out the window when you went from a B size to a E size drawing. HTH!